The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Sunday, January 9, 2000,
Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

S P O T L I G H T

Nitish rules out merger
PATNA, Jan 8 (PTI) — Samata Party leader Nitish Kumar today ruled out merger of his party with the Janata Dal (United), but said efforts were on to finalise “a proper and effective” seat-sharing agreement between the two parties and the BJP. “The possibility of merger of the Samata Party with the JD (U) is ruled out before the Bihar Assembly poll,” the Union Minister for Agriculture told mediapersons here.

IT notice to Laloo
PATNA, Jan 8 (PTI) — The Income Tax Department has served a fresh notice on RJD President Laloo Prasad Yadav and Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi disputing the income shown by them in their returns for 1997-98. The sources said the department was not satisfied with their returns which showed that Mrs Rabri Devi earned over Rs 5 lakh from the dairy farm inside the Chief Minister’s residence.

Tripura ambush
AGARTALA, Jan 8 (UNI) — In the first major militant attack in Tripura this year, five persons were killed and four injured when their jeep was ambushed at Karangichara today. The police said the armed militants later set the jeep on fire. Additional security forces, including Assam Rifles, have launched a combing operation to nab the militants.

CCS meeting
NEW DELHI, Jan 8 (PTI) — The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) today reviewed the security scenario in the country, a day after the Subramanyam Committee submitted its report to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, on the recent Pakistani intrusion in Kargil.

Strike deferred
MUMBAI, Jan 8 (UNI) — The All-India petroleum workers’ proposed strike from January 11 has been deferred by a week following direct intervention by the Petroleum Minister, Mr Ram Naik. Announcing this here today, petroleum employees’ union President Raja Kulkarni said a decision on the next date for strike would be taken after January 18.

Mild quake
NEW DELHI, Jan 8 (PTI) — An earthquake of slight intensity hit India-China border this morning. Measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale, the quake was felt at 0751 Hrs with epicentre at 35.8 degree North latitude and 78.6 degree East longitude, a MET release said here.

4 ULFA men held
GUWAHATI, Jan 8 (UNI) — The Assam Police arrested four top ULFA leaders from Shillong in a swift operation last night. According to an official source, the arrested ULFA militants were: Chitta Dehengia, a dreaded ULFA militant under the armed wing, besides Pradeep Bora and Paromita Devi, wife of another top ULFA leader Anil Deka Raja. However, the name of the fourth militant was not yet known.

Surgery on PM today
NEW DELHI, Jan 8 (PTI) — The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, will undergo a surgery for removal of cataract of left eye at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) tomorrow, a spokesman of the Prime Minister’s office said tonight.